Bonds of Soul
by Zephyrus
Summary: Naruto, Sakura, and Sai wake to find themselves in the midst of Soul Society. Little do they know, their friends are stranded in several parts of the world as well—one that is not their own. NarutoBleach crossover. Multi Character Centric.
1. Foreigners

I'm trying a hand at my first crossover, since I find them to be really interesting. This is between Bleach and Naruto, so a lot of plot devices might have to be tweaked around a bit to make it work. This takes place in Naruto Shippuden and right before the Hueco Mundo arc in Bleach. Try not to mind the bad title by the way…

I know that I left my other fanfics hanging like… years ago. XD I'm really, very sorry, but I think I'm back to writing here now and starting differently. If I can, I'll try to continue the others, but right now, I'm stuck with this idea. I won't be titling the characters with honorifics (i.e. "Sakura-chan"), but I will attach the appropriate labels to captains, lieutenants, teachers, and whatnot.

I hope you guys enjoy! Please leave a review… or flame if you hate it (be gentle though!).

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Bleach, Naruto, or any of its characters.

* * *

A groan furled out from a blond boy's throat. A muted tingling stirred him from his state of unconsciousness, prompting him to open his eyes. He blinked languidly to adjust his sight. He could see blank walls that seemed to break off into corridors, but nothing else was in his line of vision. He took in a breath and tried to push up from the ground for a better view. His arms wobbled a little, his body feeling rusted and stiff as if he hadn't been moving for days. He managed to pull himself into a sitting position and finally attain a level view of his surroundings, though his mind was so dazed that he could barely even focus properly.

His eyes fell downwards, seeing a blurry mass of colors: pink, red, black, and white. He rubbed his eyes and murmured, "Sa…kura…? … Sai?" In response to his tentative query, he saw the figures on the ground shift and start to sit up as well.

A girl with short, bubblegum pink hair and a boy with black hair slowly rose into a sitting position, backs hunched over slightly. The girl pressed her gloved hand to her forehead with her eyes closed, seemingly strained with a headache. "Naruto…? What's going on…?"

Naruto shook his head to rid it of the spinning sensation before standing up. "What is this place?" His deep blue eyes shifted from left to right. He could see nothing but long halls of white no matter which direction he looked in. The boy named Sai stood up as well, surveying the area with a more or less dulled expression. Sakura mirrored him, though in trying to stand, she stumbled a bit.

"Ngh…" she moaned, gripping her shoulder. Naruto turned his head in her direction, with his voice raised half an octave with concern, "Sakura, what's wrong?"

She glanced at her shoulder, then looked up at Naruto. "It's nothing. My shoulder just got injured." She brought her hand to her wound and exerted energy into her palm, causing a soft green light to glow near the region. The small gash started to close up at a steady pace from the light. As she nursed her shoulder, she realized that she was able to heal more rapidly than before. She dropped her arm to her side and looked around. "My medical jutsu is working more efficiently than usual. It feels different here…"

"We were fighting against Akatsuki members before coming to this place, but between that, I don't remember anything." Sai recalled, causing Naruto to snap his head up in alert. "Yeah, we were fighting Itachi and that fish bastard! Look out guys, it might be a genjutsu!" Naruto warned, warily shifting his eyes about.

"I don't think so… I recognize a genjutsu when I see one." Sakura placed her palm against a white wall, observing the area with less high-strung suspicion than her companion.

"I don't know, Sakura. The last time it was too real for me to tell." Naruto started to sniff around, twitching his head at anything unfamiliar.

"That's because you were too dense to see an easy trap." Sai commented with his smile. Naruto whipped around to glare at Sai. "Say that again!"

Sai's smile grew a margin wider as he closed his eyes and tilted his head in a charming manner. "I would just end up being redundant if I did that, wouldn't I? No sense in repeating the obvious."

"You-!" Naruto started, but he was quickly silenced by Sakura's curt, sharp "ssh". "Huh?"

"Quiet, someone's coming!"

By her words, quick clacks sounded nearby, growing louder and closer by the moment. "Five, maybe six people are headed this way." Sai deduced by listening attentively, hand readily resting upon a scroll. The three stared at the hall where the noises came from, expecting them to turn around the corner at any second.

Sure enough, several men dressed in loose, black robes came charging towards them with hands gripping the hilts of swords. "Who are they?" Sakura asked, though her question trailed as the men unsheathed their blades, prepared to strike at the three.

"Seize the intruders!" one of them shouted. "Well they don't _look_ friendly." Naruto replied, stepping up front. Sakura pulled up her fists and prepared to fight them as Naruto clasped his hands together to form a recognizable hand seal.

"Shadow Clone Jutsu!"

* * *

"Is that three more inches, or am I imagining things?" Kira, the blond lieutenant of the third squad, eyed the rather large stack of papers his comrade was holding. The dark haired, tattooed man grunted as he let the pile flop solidly on the table. Hisagi groaned as he glanced at another stack sitting idly by.

"Four and a half. I measured." he replied gruffly, landing the second pile next to the first.

"Your work load has doubled since last week… I thought it was Squad 10's job to handle most of the paperwork." Kira said, perusing over some of the files.

"Captain Hitsugaya has been handling affairs in the human realm, so the paperwork is being shifted to less active divisions… namely this one." Hisagi sighed and sat down at the desk, taking out a pen. "To tell you the truth, Captain-…" He paused at the title, causing Kira to look down in gloom. "… Tousen did most of the work, so from my standpoint, this looks overwhelming."

There was an awkward silence, and Hisagi started to fill out the papers. The mild scratching of the pen sprinkled the room with noise, but other than that, little was heard. "It's been a long time now… I guess… I guess I always wished Captain Ichimaru would return soon. I didn't want to believe he was that kind of person, you know? He always took care of me, and I thought I was of some use by sticking to my duty and protecting him… but I ended up turning my own sword on Hinamori for that man. I feel like a monster…" Kira's voice tapered off into an uncertain mumble, matching his frowning face.

Hisagi laid down the pen, raising a slight eyebrow at Kira's expression. "No one's blaming you for that. You should quit worrying so much." He paused, neglecting to resume his paperwork. Normally, he was quite responsible and worked without much complaint, but he wanted to avoid the monotonous work and take a break once in a while.

Kira didn't seem to be consoled by his words. Though the incident was some time ago, he was still affected by it and had guilt clinging relentlessly onto him. Not even the ridiculous drinking sessions with Matsumoto helped him sink it down. In fact, they posed more harm than comfort, as the continuous intake of sake sent him and Hisagi (but mysteriously not Matsumoto herself) to the medical division. From there, the two lieutenants faced an hour of excruciating pain from the foot kneading of Squad 4's nurses.

"If you keep that miserable look on your face, you're going to be more of a wuss than you are now." Hisagi said, a trace of a friendly smirk jerking at his mouth. Kira's face transitioned into one of surprise as he become mildly defensive. "Hey, I'm not-"

His words were cut off by the echoing sound of clapping wood. His head swerved towards the door as Hisagi stood. "The alarm! We have intruders!"

* * *

A solid thwack, followed by a thud, ended the commotion of fighting. Naruto's clones crowed a brief "heh!" in unison, marking the victory of the three. "Those guys were really weak. What kind of ninja were they anyway, charging straight at us like that? Only an amateur would do that!" Naruto crouched down to look at the unconscious pile of attackers more closely.

"Who else charges straight ahead like an amateur?" Sai asked thoughtfully, though in essence was purposefully mocking Naruto again.

Before Naruto could even get riled up, the group heard shouts and clamoring in the distance. This time, a much larger herd of robed fighters gushed through behind the corner like a river flood. "What the hell?!" Naruto gaped at the number of people. The ground shook at the stampede, all hands drawing their swords and prepared to strike.

Sakura had stood behind the two; she felt it wasn't necessary to get involved in the fight as Naruto had singlehandedly defeated the first batch. _'They're all wearing the same uniforms… If they come from the same organization, where is the leader?'_ Sakura's eyes scanned the area for any sign of stronger members, but none of them seemed like they took the position of a leader.

"U-!" Some clones slid on the ground and kicked a few of the enemies in the air. "Zu-!" More heels scuffed the surface and lifted the bodies from the ground. "Ma-Ki-!" Several fists performed uppercuts on the bundle of men before Naruto and three other clones smashed them down into the dirt from above. "Naruto Barrage!" A collection of heavy thumps and groans spread through the area when they crashed.

Sai's wrist moved deftly as he stroked his brush across a scroll, creating beautiful ink animals and having them attack the incoming mass. The animals growled as they tackled and bit the robed men, bursting into black liquid when struck hard.

Sakura clenched her fist and gave a fair warning, "Naruto, Sai, move!" The two boys jumped away and landed atop the roofs just in time as Sakura brought her fist down, ripping the earth beneath her apart. A chaotic earthquake caused the ones on the ground to stagger before being swallowed by the fissures. Cloaks of black fell quickly, making a large dent in their numbers. Naruto's clones disappeared in clouds of smoke as they were destroyed by the impact as well.

"Great, Sakura!" Naruto praised as he hopped down to finish off the rest of them. The three ran as they fought off the seemingly endless crowd of opponents. Though not much effort was used, the team soon grew irked by the constant pursuit.

"How many are there?!" Naruto growled, thoroughly annoyed as he punched a man out of the way while avoiding being pierced by his sword. "And why are these people so stupid?! They wouldn't be beaten so badly if they used kunai and shuriken instead of swords!"

"They're obviously not ninja, so they wouldn't have those tools." Sai evaded a slash and elbowed a female fighter in the stomach.

"Whatever! Just when are they gonna stop?!" Naruto started to pant as he ran, creating clones to dispose of the swordsmen close behind them. The group started to sprint faster, seeing as how the enemy refused to desist. Sakura pulled out a kunai with an explosive tag attached and threw it behind her, motioning for the other two to hurry up as she ran ahead. A blast was heard soon afterward, sending rubble flying off and clattering against the walls.

The group stopped to catch their breath. "Can't they come in… smaller packages?!" Naruto huffed out, exhausted from fighting so much. If they hadn't fought with Itachi and Kisame just before, they would have had more energy to fight. Sakura breathed just as heavily, taking a moment to check that the enemies halted before relaxing a bit. "This is definitely not any place I've ever seen… Where… are we…?" Sakura panted, holding her chest and raising her head to look up.

"I don't know but-" Naruto was interrupted when a shadow swooped down on him, causing him to react by pulling out a kunai to parry the sword. He stumbled backwards as Sakura and Sai moved. "What the-?!" Naruto glared at his ambusher as his arm wobbled from holding off the force of the katana. "Who the hell are you?!"

A dark haired youth glared back at Naruto with steely eyes. Scars that looked like lines ran down his face, which was tattooed with a symbol that appeared to be the number 69. Though appearing to be cold and disinclined to answer Naruto, he opened his mouth to give his name, "Lieutenant of Squad 9, Shuhei Hisagi." His wiry, muscular arms tightened as he gripped his sword harder and pressed forward.

Naruto let out a growl of frustration and shoved away with strong force, though he had to withdraw quickly as his kunai knife was far inferior to Hisagi's long blade. The lieutenant, or captain substitute, raised his sword to point it at Naruto's neck. The blond only stared back at him defiantly without moving as his teammates watched him carefully.

"Now it's your turn. Who are _you_?" Naruto grit his teeth, irritated at Hisagi's chilly manner. "Naruto Uzumaki." he growled. While neither of them moved from the spot, Sai quietly slipped his brush between his fingers and slid it across the scroll, but was disrupted when another fell among them. Sai jumped out of the way before the edge of the sword could slash at him. He narrowed his eyes. _'How could they have come undetected?'_

A well groomed, blond haired young man raised his sword at Sai. Sakura quickly pulled out a kunai and steadily positioned it parallel to the newcomer's neck. The light blond cast a glance at her before keeping his gaze rested on Sai, who still had the brush held in his fingers. "Lieutenant of Squad 3, Izuru Kira." he said calmly, skipping to introductions without the inquiry.

Naruto jerked his head behind him and cried in annoyance, "Just who are you people? Squads? Lieutenants? Swords? Stupid looking black robes?!" Hisagi pulled his mouth down in even more of a frown than it already was, pressing the tip of his blade at Naruto's neck. Naruto stilled, unable to turn his head around again. His eyes tore back to Hisagi and strengthened their glare, though the lieutenant appeared to be unfazed.

"We are Shinigami. You are all outsiders." Hisagi stated briefly in response. "Shinigami… '_Death Gods_'…?" Sakura murmured in puzzlement. There was a long silence before Naruto broke it—or rather, his clone did. A poof resounded through the area as the Naruto in front of Hisagi disappeared, startling him.

"What?!" Kira swiveled around to see what was going on, but made the mistake of looking away as Sai swiftly finished his drawing and summoned a black ink dog.

Kira narrowly pulled away to avoid being bitten, but soon had his hands full when Sakura leapt at him with a kunai. Kira held his hilt with both hands to block, but to his surprise, she was gradually pushing him back. When he was backed up to a wall, he managed to yell out a phrase that caused Sakura to jump back in caution, "Raise your head, Wabisuke!"

Sakura watched in shock as his blade was suddenly enveloped in energy, extending and becoming an odd square hook. "What… what is that?" she whispered, but had to raise her arm with the kunai to block his attack. Kira lifted his blade and swung again, only to be parried by Sakura once more. The girl took steps back as he kept striking at her kunai.

_'What's going on? __Why doesn't he attack anywhere else?!'_ As Sakura tried to think, she noticed her arm becoming weaker with every block she made. Her eyes shot at her hand in alarm. _'It's… so heavy!'_

During their fight, Sai had moved on to assist Naruto with Hisagi, who had been fighting evenly with him. The dog was redirected towards the Squad 9 lieutenant, causing him to be even more alert. The real Naruto appeared behind Hisagi to kick him from behind as soon as the clone had vanished. Hisagi stabbed and slashed through more of Naruto's clones, though was inwardly surprised that they were real bodies, and not simply illusions.

Naruto breathed heavily as he created another clone, feeling his chakra slowly become depleted. _'Damn it! If I didn't just fight __Itachi__ and those other goons, I wouldn't be so tired!'_ he thought in frustration.

The clone beside him started to rapidly circulate his hands around Naruto's right, causing a swirling energy to compact into a sphere. Once it was completed, he ran towards Hisagi, who was taking care of the ink creations.

Meanwhile, Sakura avoided parrying altogether and tried to dodge Kira's slashes. She ultimately dropped her kunai, hearing a loud clatter as opposed to a sharp, tinkling sound. Her eyes still followed Kira as she kept dodging, since her ears were enough to detect that something was wrong.

_'That sword… Somehow it made the kunai heavier with each hit…'_ she thought, successfully ruling out her previous thought of it making her arm weaker, since it was not affecting her limb, but the kunai.

"Why are you doing this?" she asked, skidding to a halt as she raised her hand in front in order to gain answers before resuming if necessary. Kira lowered his blade only slightly, though he supplied her with an answer, preferring more diplomatic approaches as well.

"We cannot afford to let intruders cause harm to Soul Society. You're marked as invaders, and it's our job to make sure you don't go any further."

"But we didn't try to invade this place! We don't even know where we are or how we came-" Sakura stopped when she saw an ink lion lunge behind Kira, causing him to turn around but be thrown onto his back. "Sai!" Sakura yelled. The boy didn't heed her as he handled both battles, his attention switching to Hisagi, who had just narrowly avoided Naruto's attack.

The swirling orb crashed into the wall instead of Hisagi, causing chunks of rubble to fly off as Naruto plunged straight through to the other side. The lieutenant was astonished at the display, feeling on edge when he realized that such a technique would have torn him apart. _'Who are these people?!'_

Naruto stumbled as he ran through the hole and his attack dispersed. He groaned in vexation, feeling his chakra sag from the onslaught of battles and usage of energy. But before he could try to attempt another attack, cold steel suddenly shoved into his back and out through the side of his stomach.

Blue eyes widened considerably as a stream of blood poured out from the corner of his mouth. He coughed in pain when he felt the blade pull out, cutting against his internal flesh. He fell forward on his stomach and shuddered, his eyes still open. He couldn't move, but he saw sandaled feet walk past him calmly. He could hear faint noises as his awareness began to slip.

"Captain Kuchiki-"

"Sai, look ou-! … Aagh!"

A thud. A clatter of wood and brush strokes. A groan. Another thud.

"G-guys…" Naruto muttered hoarsely before his eyes closed, the dark consuming him entirely.

* * *

Sai: Wow… You suck, Hag. ((charming smile))

I know… ((sniffle))


	2. New World

Second chapter is up. I'm getting a little apprehensive about this... Should I continue or not?

* * *

Shadows printed the walls of a grim fortress's interior. Echoes of taps on a solid surface pervaded the large, vacant room. A man with slicked back, brown hair in white clothing stopped at the center, turning back just slightly to beckon his guest to see what was in front.

"He is who you requested, correct?"

The visitor stepped forward and inspected who or what was presented to him. The man had long, dark hair and pallid skin, but his most identifying features were his eyes: sickly yellow and slit. A smile twisted its way into his elongated, pasty face as he reached his arm out to touch the one in front of him. His hand, which was equally as white and bony as his face, caressed the figure's hair. Long fingers grasped the fine locks before releasing them.

"My... You haven't changed since the last time I saw you. Perfect..."

The person rose from his kneeling position, revealing a nude body that was tall and muscular, but slender and, peculiarly, somewhat frail. His head lifted, parting strands of hair and revealing a set of pale green eyes.

"Master Orochimaru..."

* * *

In a cell chamber, the three captives were held inside, free of restraints. While Naruto and Sakura were unconscious, Sai managed to override the pain of his injury without too much difficulty. He observed that the room was empty with the exception of the three of them and took the opportunity to prop himself up against a wall. His abdomen was bleeding from the sword wound he received earlier on, dealt by an unknown attacker with elaborate black and white robes.

He shifted his glance at Naruto and Sakura, who were also bleeding freely on the wooden floor. "Wake up." he said, nudging Naruto with his foot. There was no response. He frowned; he wouldn't be able to wake them by being louder because the enemy might hear him. On the other hand, if he hit them to rouse their sleep, he might end up injuring them further. Calm words were the only way to go.

"Wake up, Penis-less, Ugly Hag."

As if the names were triggers for shock collars, both Naruto and Sakura bolted up with fuming tempers. His teammates flared and lunged at Sai's throat, screaming at him in the usual manner of reaction.

"STOP TALKING ABOUT MY-"

"YOU WANT ANOTHER PUNCH IN THE-"

"Forcing your diaphragm to work only makes you bleed faster," Sai said, slicing into the midst of their shouts. "and we've been captured by the enemy."

A long silence settled in the air after Sai made his statements, completely composed and normal in tone. His two companions fell back down, finally becoming affected by the pain that pulsed through their bodies; their injuries came from many different fights, and it was only then when they realized that they had burnt themselves out.

Sakura quelled her boiling temper by taking priorities. She pulled off her glove and scooted over to Naruto, raising her palm over his side. "Thanks, Sakura." Naruto grinned in appreciation, though it faltered a little when he saw that Sakura wasn't returning the gesture. She appeared troubled.

"My chakra's almost gone... I can barely close up this wound." Sakura concentrated harder, trying to squeeze out the reserves of her energy to complete the healing process. "Don't strain yourself on me. Heal yourself first!" Naruto urged, dismissing his own injury. Sakura gave him a wry smile at his concern. "Thanks, but I've been through worse than this." She recalled her fight with Sasori where she had not only been impaled, but faced various other hindrances (including poison) as well.

Naruto nodded reluctantly in understanding. Sakura switched her gaze to Sai, offhandedly asking, "Do you need help?" Naturally, her somewhat more indifferent attitude towards him was influenced by his previous comment. "No." Sai replied, displaying his smile.

Sakura winced as she felt the pain nagging at her, but she tolerated it for a while, crawling to the bars. She examined them closely before cautiously raising her hand to touch them. A spark caused her to suck in a sharp breath through her teeth as she withdrew from it. "There's a barrier here, but I'm not sure what kind..."

She turned her head when the door slid open. Two men in the same uniforms walked in and stood at the bars, sneering at the prisoners. Sakura glared slightly in return, quietly slipping back from the bars.

"Intruders, eh? This is the second time in a year!"

"They don't look half as impressive as the others that came before... not that they were very impressive either, heh."

One of them knelt down and moved his head closer, eyeing Sakura lecherously. "Heeey... This one's not so bad. You're a real hottie, Babe. Got a name?"

Naruto leapt up at the sign of flirtation at an instant, though Sakura remained in her position, inwardly both flattered and repulsed. "Hey! Quit hitting on her!"

The guard glanced up and snorted before having his eyes fall back on the girl. "How 'bout I make you an offer? I can break you out—just you—and we can play with each other."

Naruto steamed through his nose holes, charging at the bars and gripping them with his hands, only to be repelled by an electric shock. "Naruto, don't be so reckless!" Sakura reprimanded, frowning at his body that was knocked onto its back. She turned back around, putting on a smile for the man. "Sounds fair." Naruto jerked himself up at the agreement. "What?! Sakura!"

The guard rubbed his chin, smirking as he held his hand in front of the door. His companion intercepted. "What the hell are you, an idiot? Those other two will try to escape when you open the door!"

"Shut up, I got this covered. You can hold them back." He muttered an incantation before releasing the lock as the other guard grudgingly prepared to subdue Naruto and Sai. Thinking of himself as a charming person, he grinned down at Sakura and held his hand out to pull her up. Sakura smiled sweetly in return, accepting his gesture.

But as soon as she stepped out, she gripped his hand more a bit more firmly... crushing it. He yelped loudly, causing the other guard to pull out his sword in alarm to attack Sakura, but Naruto gained enough leeway to slip out of the prison. He punched him and his partner in the face, knocking them out momentarily. "Feh! Dirtbags." Naruto glanced around, only to find that no others came in to subdue them. "What's with this place? Security sucks..."

"Let's go while we can." Sakura said, motioning quickly to Sai. She stumbled a bit at her injury, but pulled herself up and escaped with the two of them.

To their surprise, no one was in the hallways as they ran, heading towards a notable exit. "Like I said, security sucks!" Naruto darted his eyes from left to right, seeing no signs of enemies whatsoever. "Something doesn't seem right..." Sakura murmured, but despite their doubts, the team successfully escaped the lax prison and ran out the door.

"How're we gonna find a way back?" Naruto asked as he ran, not even sure of which direction they should head in. Neither Sakura nor Sai had a chance to provide an answer when they were confronted once again. Naruto skidded to a halt, seeing a man with long white hair not too far away.

"Come on! Give me a break!" he growled, aggravated at encounter after encounter. Sakura breathed out and raised her fists while Sai pulled out his brush, ready to fight for the fourth time. "This is not your lucky day!" Naruto yelled, charging at the man of white.

"Naruto, don't be so brash!" Sakura warned, but Naruto was too irritated by the endless onslaught of obstacles to pay attention.

"Hasty as always... I thought your training taught you something." Before Naruto could attack the man in front of him, another walked out from behind him. "W-what…?" Naruto and Sakura stared at the person beside the "enemy" in shock while Sai watched in silence.

"K-Kakashi-sensei?!" Naruto stammered.

It was indeed his masked team leader who appeared behind the white man, who did not say anything as of yet. Kakashi brought his hand to his neck, scratching it in a fashion that suggested he didn't know where to begin explaining. "This is going to be a lot to explain..." he said, sounding tired.

"No kidding. I'm not sure of what's going on completely, either."

The team whipped their heads towards the rooftops, seeing two other men: a flamboyantly dressed stranger and their other captain, Yamato.

"Explain." Sai said bluntly, beginning to grow rather irritable as well at the lack of understanding. The two jumped down from the top, landing beside Kakashi and the other man.

"Let's start off with introductions first... This is Jushiro Ukitake, captain of the 13th division." Kakashi gestured to the one with long white hair, who only nodded. "And this is Shunsui Kyoraku, captain of the 8th division." The designated captain pulled down his straw hat, keeping a lazy smile on his face in greeting.

"I know this is overwhelming, but now I need you all to come along. I promise your questions will be answered soon." Kakashi informed, turning his body to indicate that he didn't want objections. Naruto spoke up to protest, but Sakura elbowed him lightly in the chest. "I'm sure Kakashi-sensei means it. Be patient." Naruto chewed on his lip for a while, too edgy to fully accept the wait.

Sai didn't wait for either of them as he walked ahead, following the four older men to wherever they were taking them. Everything seemed so abrupt and chaotic from their standpoint, but it was unwise to rail against what fate already had in store for them. Grudgingly, Naruto followed along.

* * *

After a fair bit of walking, the three students grew weary. Kakashi noted their exhaustion and glanced at Yamato. "They've been through a lot today. It's a good thing they'll get their rest."

It wasn't long before the large group entered a large building. A girl with lavender hair jogged towards them, immediately noticing the three's condition. "What's this? Who are they?"

"Isane, have them properly treated while we speak to Captain Unohana." Ukitake instructed. The girl, Isane, seemed to hesitate for a moment, but decided to comply to her younger sister's captain. "Alright. This way, please." The lieutenant ushered Naruto, Sakura, and Sai in one of the rooms to be healed while the four stayed.

Kyoraku finally spoke, expelling air-ridden chuckles. "Why does this look familiar? Maybe intruders are a trend these days. It didn't happen too long ago with the subsitute shinigami, either."

"This is hardly a joking matter," Ukitake said, though his tone expressed the similar appreciation of irony. "This is going to be complicated..."

Kakashi placed his hands in his pockets and looked towards the room where his students were being healed. "Hopefully they'll understand. They've been through a lot already, and this only adds onto their problems."

Yamato leaned against the wall and nodded. "Yes. But they can handle it." he said with confidence. "They're tough kids."

* * *

With Naruto and company suddenly thrust into Soul Society with no answers, who knows how things will turn out? And what kind of dangers would they be facing?

Next- **Chapter 3: **_Discoveries and Negotiations_; the team gets filled in as answers are revealed. What? They're going to be assigned to _squads_?! Yamamoto declares that they are under Soul Society custody to work beneath the captains against a looming threat.


	3. Discoveries

Thank you all for your reviews! I appreciate the support! Here's the third chapter, my small present to you. Merry Christmas!

* * *

_A mask of white that strikes terror in your veins,  
Instilling icy, liquid steel to mingle with warm blood.  
The chill collides with the boil of your soul,  
Altering you from scorch red to a frozen hue.  
Claws rip and tear through your flesh,  
Pushing out the inside of you by force.  
You scream, you howl, you roar.  
But the only liberation you receive is the blade  
That impales your hollowed heart._

Naruto woke up with a start, sweating from his touch with a nightmare. His chest heaved rapidly, aching from the hammering of his heart. He sucked in a deep breath through his mouth to steal more oxygen, calming himself down. He couldn't very well recall his dream; the only thing that flashed through his mind was the faint image of a grotesquely designed, white mask.

He heard a tentative knock at the door and raised his head. "C-come in…" he said warily. The door creaked open slowly, revealing a rather nervous looking boy. His hair was a soft black and judging from his eyes, he appeared to be either sleep-deprived or naturally neurotic. "U-um… Sir? I brought your breakfast…" he mumbled, timidly shuffling towards Naruto with a tray.

Naruto blinked once in confusion before taking note of his own condition. He looked at his hands, which were bandaged. He felt at his head to discover it was bandaged as well. "How long have I been sleeping?" he murmured.

"About 19 hours, Sir. You and your friends were in bad condition." The boy set down the tray at Naruto's bedside. The blond stared at the steaming bowl of rice and vegetables for a while before sweeping his eyes up at the stranger. "Who are you?"

The young person seemed to jump a little at the question, visibly flinching. Naruto raised an eyebrow at his jittery behavior; was he that scary to look at?

"H-Hanataro Yamada, Sir." he answered dutifully, albeit weakly. "Hanataro, huh? I'm Naruto Uzumaki. Nice to meet you." Naruto grinned a bit, getting the impression that Hanataro was friendly enough to be trusted. The boy seemed to be confused, but he breathed out a sigh of relief. "N-nice to meet you, Naruto Uzumaki, Sir. I'm… I get a little nervous sometimes, so I'm sorry…"

Naruto chuckled slightly. "Just Naruto's fine. I don't bite, so you can relax."

Hanataro's muscles stopped tensing at the reassurance, gaining a small smile from him. He had been fretting over delivering breakfast to the intruder, who he assumed to be very dangerous and mean. But luckily for him and his poor nerves, Naruto turned out to be quite amiable and open.

"W-well, I'll leave you to your meal. Excuse me, Sir." Hanataro bowed and started to walk out of the room. "Hey Hanataro." Naruto called, causing him to swivel around immediately. "Yes, Sir?"

"Drop the 'Sir'. I told you, it's 'Naruto'." He grinned. Hanataro seemed to teeter on the spot for a moment, but came to his senses and broke out in a full smile. "Okay. Thank you, Naruto." After earning a curt nod of approval from the blond, he quietly shut the door behind him.

Naruto sighed and stared at the warm bowl of rice at his side. "Just where are we?" His stomach gurgled, and it was then he realized that he hadn't eaten in more than two days. He eagerly picked up the bowl and felt his palms warm up from the ceramic. Taking his chopsticks, he shoveled a bite of rice into his mouth, chewing in thought.

"Man, I wish I had ramen right now."

* * *

"Captain!" The sound of thumping feet against wood sounded through the interior of a building. "Captain Kuchiki!" a voice persisted, trying to gain the man's attention.

The softer padding of feet stopped as a man of regal appearance turned. "What is it, Renji?"

Sandals slowed to a stop as a red haired man bowed slightly in respect. "Captain Kuchiki, what was happening with the alarm earlier? I've heard reports, but I still don't know what's going on."

"The intruders have been taken care of." The captain, Byakuya, answered simply. "As of now, they are resting in the medical division."

Renji furrowed his eyebrows in puzzlement. "You saw them?"

"I stopped them from fighting the lieutenants of Squad 3 and 9. I have a meeting to attend; I don't have time to speak." Byakuya's cloak and scarf swished when he turned back around, walking around the corner and out of Renji's sight.

The lieutenant looked down at the floor in thinking, "Kira and Hisagi? I guess I'll have to talk to them for more on the situation…" he muttered, starting to walk in the other direction and confirm a meeting with his comrades.

When Naruto, Sakura, and Sai came to, they were changed into a set of fresh clothes while their original ones were washed and repaired. Naruto walked out of his room, rather annoyed with his current outfit, which was a standard, black robed uniform. He flapped the hanging sleeves as he walked, nearly tripping over his fabrics and new sandals.

"Che! These clothes are so annoying… I can barely move without falling over!"

"They do take some getting used to."

Naruto looked up from examining his attire, seeing Sakura, Sai, and his two teachers up front, all sporting the same clothing. Sakura clasped her hands behind her back and smiled a little. "Good morning." Naruto returned the greeting and stopped at their side.

"Okay. Better start explaining." he said, keeping his stare on both of his teachers. Kakashi and Yamato looked at one another before nodding. They stepped aside and gestured to the woman sitting at the desk. "This is Captain Unohana. She is the head of Squad 4, which is the medical division. Your wounds have been treated by the members here."

The motherly-looking woman smiled and nodded. "You have all been resting for a long while. You must have gone through a lot. Now, let's get to explaining. We have much to discuss."

"Captain Unohana already briefed us on some of what's going on. We're in some place called Soul Society." Sakura informed, revealing the place they were currently in. Naruto wrinkled his nose at the name. "Soul Society? How'd we get here? Who are these people?"

"Calm down. Allow me to explicate." Unohana said calmly.

* * *

After a long hour of explaining and questioning, the group finally received the majority of their inquiries answered. It turned out that Kakashi and Yamato had actually been staying in Soul Society for a week. No one knew the _reason_ for their transportation, but they had been through the same tumults their students have, only seven days prior. However, in comparison, Kakashi and Yamato approached the situation more diplomatically and managed to smooth things over with the commander: Yamamoto. After much negotiation, they were deemed as not hostile. The three were told of shinigami and Hollows, as well as the 13 Squads and their corresponding captains. They were given background about recent events, including the treason of Aizen, Gin, and Tousen. Lastly, they were given some insight on basic skills and duties shinigami performed.

Needless to say, the three ninjas had to take the information in stride. The very thought of them being suddenly placed into a foreign world under unknown circumstances was mind blowing enough. Sakura and Sai understood the situation when Kakashi and Yamato assisted in explaining, but Naruto was still somewhat lost.

"Wait, _what_? Zan-paku-to?" His eyes became squinted like a fox, signaling his lack of understanding. "We already went over that five minutes ago." Sai said, making Naruto feel rather slow. He vigorously scratched his head, trying to piece everything together. "Aah geez! I'm not getting this at all!" he cried, frustrated.

"Don't worry. It takes time; you'll understand everything soon enough." Unohana reassured.

"Here's the catch for us staying here. It's unlikely that we'll be able to return to our own… 'dimension', if you will, in the near future, so for now, we have to go by the rules of Soul Society." Yamato said. Kakashi audibly inhaled, attracting the eyes of his three students. "What is it?" Sakura asked warily, wondering what was in store for them.

"We have discussed the situation with the Gotei 13's commander and agreed upon a compromise. In exchange for assisting us in finding a way back home and investigating the cause…" he trailed.

The three waited for him to continue. Naruto tapped his foot impatiently when Kakashi neglected to speak for a few seconds. "Come on, what do we have to do?"

"Yamato and I have agreed to submit ourselves—including you—to work under the Gotei 13's squads. We are held to serve as combatants against Soul Society's current threat. In other words, we're going to be temporary shinigami grunts." A moment of silence spread densely through the room like a thick bean paste. It wasn't until Naruto opened his mouth that the congealed stillness parted.

"… _**WHAT**_?!"

* * *

In Hueco Mundo, a white-grey haired young man walked through the dim lit hall from his own room. A loose, white robe hung over his shoulders, mildly fluttering each time he took a step. Jade eyes steadily kept staring ahead until he reached close to the doors in the front. They shifted to the right when a large, tanned man sauntered towards him, wearing a sneer of contempt.

"So you're Master Aizen's new pet, huh?"

The green eyed young man didn't respond as he stopped in front of the door, reaching for the bars to open it. "Feh… I knew letting in that pile of snake trash was a mistake…" he snorted in disdain, but found the young man's eyes pierce through his at the comment.

"Don't speak of Master Orochimaru in that manner." he said evenly, though one could tell that a knife edge rested beneath his smooth and level voice. The dark skinned man smirked widely at the response, bellowing out a laugh that gained no change in expression from the pale one.

"Are you _threatening_ me, you disgusting gnat?"

Jade green eyes closed calmly as his head turned back to the door. "No. I am ordering you."

At the reply, the bulky man grew enraged, rumbling at the throat and throwing a massive fist at the smaller body. A pale arm raised itself, causing loose sleeves to fall gently to his elbow. The mammoth of a fist collided with the arm, but the young man didn't budge from his spot, effortlessly fending off the force of the punch with his frail-looking limb.

"W-what the?! Y-your bones! They're… They're not breaking!" the dark skinned man blabbered, widening his eyes in disbelief. The smaller one remained unfazed as he dropped his arm back to his side, allowing the sleeve to slide down again. He opened the door and walked through without saying another word.

* * *

Next- **Chapter 4:**_Exhibition_; the five ninjas from Konoha are ordered to demonstrate their abilities against simulations of Hollows. Shinigami witness their unusual powers as they begin to tailor them to the squads they are best suited to. Which squads will Naruto, Sakura, Sai, Kakashi, and Yamato end up in?


	4. Exhibition

Happy New Year everyone! Hope you had a good Christmas. Here's the next chapter. It's slightly longer than normal, so I figured it would be a nice way to start '08. Hope you enjoy.

* * *

In the outskirts of Seireitei, a few people walked around the dilapidated district. There was a soft murmuring of the inhabitants speaking, but other than that, the streets were quiet as usual. But what was usual changed in the recent days, as new souls found themselves stepping through the barrier.

"What is this place?" a voice that belonged to a teenaged girl asked. The strangers' flat soled sandals tapped the loamy earth in unison as they observed their surroundings.

"We have been walking for several hours now, but I still can't recognize anything around us. This place is not familiar." a male voice gave his own comment, tracing his unusual eyes across the sullen landscape.

"It is so desolate… Are the people here unhappy?"

"It appears so… But they shall fear not! With our presence, their faces will start to glow in exuberance and witness the SPRINGTIME OF YOUTH!! Watch as our magnificence spreads through like a wonderful disease!" Several heads of bystanders turned and looked at the new speaker strangely, ushering the children inside.

"Yes! You are absolutely right, Sensei!" The boyish voice rose in volume to express his support to the bizarre man, earning distinctive groans from the two beside them.

"Now, let us infect every single being with the unstoppable plague of youth!" Some of the bystanders rushed into shambled homes behind the children, shutting the doors in response to the eccentric declaration.

The female moaned and scuffed her sandal on the ground, cheeks flaring from both irritation and utter embarrassment. "Can you two _not_ attract so much attention for once?" A soft but masculine sigh followed the reproach, coming from a tall young man who closed his pale eyes.

"Give it up, TenTen."

* * *

Team 7 used the morning to recover their wounds, feeling much better with the help from the medical division. For the remainder of their time, they discussed the agenda ahead of them and received a basic tour of Soul Society. While it took time to settle in, they eventually accepted their situation and grudgingly agreed to work for the shinigami (though of course, there was much more resistance on Naruto's part).

It was revealed that their plan for the day was to demonstrate their combative abilities for Seireitei to decide which squad each of them belonged in. As Naruto complained to Kakashi and Yamato, Sakura and Sai got ready for the exhibition without much fuss.

"So, what do you think of this test?" Sakura asked, double-checking the equipment in her pouch. Sai snapped the ink tray into his scroll and answered without looking up. "I don't think anything of it. We are told to treat this as a mission." he replied nonchalantly.

Sakura tied her red headband around her hair, pulling it into a knot. She straightened her clothing and slipped on her gloves, flexing her fingers to get a better feel for them. The team's personal outfits were washed and mended after two days, allowing them to wear the more battle suited attire in time for the fighting.

"Well, at least we get our clothes back. I don't know how we'd be able to fight in those robes." she said thoughtfully, considering her own combat style. The sleeves of the shinigami robes would have gotten in the way, hindering her punching and mobility.

"It doesn't matter what you wear; you're pretty either way." Sai complimented, but only earned a wry smile from Sakura. "You're getting good at learning proper social skills, but I know you still don't mean it."

Sai blinked at her statement as he stood, done with his preparations. "I really don't understand. It's either making fake compliments and getting appreciation… or being honest and getting hit in the face. It's a lose-lose situation with you."

Sakura laughed a little at his observation. "You really are something else. Maybe it's better if you kept your mouth closed in these situations. But in the end, it's probably best if you were sincere about your comments."

The two walked towards the exit of the medical division with Sakura smiling and Sai pondering. They stopped at the doorway, waiting for Naruto and their teachers to join them. "In that case, I'll be more truthful while being nice," Sai spoke with an affectionate tone, using a more genuine-seeming smile, "Thanks for your help, Ugly Dog."

Sakura's teeth grinded together as the vein in her hand bulged. She socked him in the face, causing him to fly back inside. "THAT'S WHERE YOU _STARTED_, DUMBASS!!"

* * *

A deep, tired sigh was pushed out steadily, followed by a muttering of a word. "I still don't understand _why_ we're here, but is what you're saying true?"

The brisk sound of a fan unfolding wedged through the quietness of the room as a man fanned himself lazily. "Of course! I have no reason to lie to you. I'm quite surprised at this whole scenario myself, but I can't say this is the most shocking situation I've faced." he said airily, earning a frown from another person across the table.

"How can you be so relaxed about this? Don't you think this deserves to be taken more seriously?" The speaker leaned forward, hands pressing against her knees as she expressed her disapproval at his levity.

"No need to be so grave, Miss. It's not the end of the world—well, not yet—but we'll sort this all out in due time. This seems to be a similar dilemma as the one Soul Society is handling…"

"Is there something you're not telling us? I still don't know what this 'Soul Society' really is, but I get the feeling you know more than you're telling us." The annoyed boy frowned but kept his composure.

There was an uncomfortable silence, littered with a few munching noises and the steady fanning. "To be completely truthful, I'm getting new information only through a messenger of Soul Society. I can assure you I don't know much more than that."

The teenager narrowed his eyes. "Then why are you acting so calm and… _happy_ about it?" A light chuckle escaped the older person with the fan.

"Don't mind me. It's just my personality."

* * *

As Sai nursed his sore cheek, the others stood in an arena of some sort that was closed off from the main region. "Just as I thought; you shouldn't say anything after all." Sakura gave Sai a dull look of displeasure, making him sigh at his lack of progress. He would never understand it.

While they were waiting, Kakashi and Yamato used the time to coach their students for a brief moment. "Some of the squads of the Gotei 13 will be here to watch you fight. We've already demonstrated our skills and were placed into squads." Kakashi said as Yamato nodded in affirmation.

Naruto blinked a few times in surprise. "Why didn't you tell us sooner? Which squads are you in?"

"I'm placed in Squad 5. Yamato is in Squad 9." Kakashi replied. Sakura knit her eyebrows in thought. "Wait, didn't Captain Unohana say that squads 3, 5, and 9 were without leaders because of the treason of… erm…" She paused, trying to think of the name.

"Aizen," Yamato provided, "and yes, we were assigned to those particular squads because of that reason. Apparently we 'exceeded the standard', so to speak, during the demonstrations. We're acting as assistants to the lieutenants, who are currently regarded as substitutes for their captains."

In the middle of their conversation, Yamamoto's voice boomed over the area. "The exhibition will begin momentarily. Captains, watch carefully; these three can be assigned to your squad upon assessment of skill."

The two teachers turned to their kids and gave them a few words of encouragement before starting to walk off. "Good luck."

Once Kakashi and Yamato exited the area, a screen of spirit energy raised itself around the dome. "This must be to keep us in…" Sakura noted, feeling particles prickle at her skin as she lightly touched the invisible wall.

"W-what the hell is that?!"

All heads turned to the front as Naruto made his outburst. Sakura's eyes widened in shock when she saw large, bizarre monsters bearing white masks loom over them. Sai didn't waste time in gawking like his teammates as he unraveled his scroll, taking out his brush and dipping it in ink.

Naruto noted his teammate's readiness to fight and smirked a little to himself. "I don't know what these freaks are, but I guess all we have to do is kick their asses." He bent his knees before springing forward, eager to fight. "Shadow Clone Jutsu!"

Six clones formed in a row, prepared to attack the lion-like Hollow that was ambling their way. Five of them charged at the massive creature, punching and kicking at its sides. "What the-? Its skin is…!" a clone said, noticing that regular, mediocre-force taijutsu did little to harm it. The Hollow thrashed about, tossing the clones off as it bellowed a roar that resembled more of an eerie screech. Puffs of smoke shot in the air as the clones crashed to the ground.

Naruto gritted his teeth at the lack of effect. He held out his right hand as a clone at his side started to rapidly form energy around it in spherical motion. "Alright, then how about th-"

"Ninja Art: Great Beast Painting."

The clone was suddenly knocked forward by something from behind. "Gah!" he yelped before vanishing. Lions of smaller proportion than the Hollow but made of ink lunged at the monster, tackling and biting at its legs. Naruto whipped around to see Sai squatting on the ground with a scroll in his lap and his brush raised above the paper.

"Aarggh! SAI! What'd you do that for?! I was going to get it with my Rasengan!" he shouted in aggravation.

Sai blinked once in mild confusion at his outburst. "Your clone was in the way. Trying to evade it would have taken more time to attack that thing, which would have struck you before then. Friends protect each other, right?"

Naruto sagged at Sai's explanation, but his attention was immediately diverted when the Hollow's shriek returned. The ink lions had splattered against it, looking almost like spurted blood on a body canvas. After being defeated, the Hollow began to dissipate into particles. The three watched in curiosity and slight bewilderment. Even as an unearthly creature, they expected it to fall to the ground and stay there, but apparently such a creature dissolved into nothingness when killed.

"Look out, there's more coming!" Sakura warned, pulling out a kunai from her pouch and gripping it firmly. Naruto cracked his knuckles and hunched over slightly in preparation.

"Alright, bring it on."

* * *

Twenty minutes later…

SMASH.

A sphere with the power of a typhoon ripped through a white mask, shattering it into hundreds of pieces. A screech tore through the air as a Hollow's remains evaporated, causing Naruto to grin cockily. "Heh! They're as bad as those guys we fought when we got here!"

Team 7 had been fighting for half an hour, plowing through Hollow after Hollow. The difficulty was eventually bumped to where they had to fight against the Menos Grande, but the new enemies did not pose too great of a threat to them either once they had time to discover their weaknesses.

"Don't get arrogant, Naruto. You've gotten hurt a couple of times already; don't underestimate them." Sakura cautioned. Since Naruto and Sai handled the monsters just fine on their own, she stayed back to support just in case.

"Heh, don't get so worried Sak-" Naruto didn't get the chance to finish his sentence when a hefty claw struck at him, knocking him away. Sakura's alarmed expression quickly transitioned into a dull look. "Ugh, Naruto you idiot…" Sakura muttered, shaking her head. The fox growled at the interruption and slid on his feet, using his hand to break his glide across the ground. His clones beat at the weaker Hollow until it dissolved into smaller, black particles and disappeared.

As they fought, the squads attending watched with some intrigue. "They're not bad…" a rather tidy young man from Squad 11 commented, but his bald companion scoffed. "That's nothing. They haven't proven anything yet."

The somewhat effeminate looking one turned to him, raising an unusually colored and feathered brow. "That's true by our standards, but compared to many of the weaker divisions, these fighters seem to be something else." The bald one rested a loose arm on his zanpakuto's hilt, still unimpressed. "Eh. The only one that might be interesting is that blond kid."

The other turned his head to Naruto, who was fighting in a wild style his partner would identify with. His gaze shifted to Sai, who fought with much more tact. Despite his fighting style being strange with the use of paintings, they seemed to work in great effect. The pale boy quickly defeated his fair share of Hollows with nimble movement of his fingers, handling the brush. After lingering at the unique style, he switched his eyes to Sakura, who had yet to fight at all. She had been evading attacks quite well as her teammates disposed of the creatures. Occasionally, she displayed her healing powers, closing up minor wounds for the blond because he was slightly careless.

"That other boy has some talent. I've never seen such a technique before. On the other hand, the girl doesn't seem to be able to fight at all. She's obviously just there to support, judging from her fragile appearance." he observed.

Naruto's Rasengan glowed as he drove it into a Menos, eating away at its body until it swirled away into oblivion. "Take that!" he crowed.

Sai's brush moved rapidly across the paper, creating many ink creatures at a time. Ink wolves bit and tore at several Hollows while they ganged up on the stronger ones. Sakura jumped away from a large red orb of energy a Menos fired, watching as some debris became incinerated from the blast. She didn't have time to make many observations as she saw a large shadow loom over her. Turning around, she saw a large Hollow bend over to claw at her. Curling her fingers into a solid fist, she rammed a heavy punch into the Hollow's face, causing it to shatter and vanish after being knocked back quite a ways.

The bald one of Squad 11 snorted, almost laughing. "So much for 'fragile'."

During the fight, Yamamoto was pulled aside by an informant. They exchanged a few words before he nodded and walked back to his office without being noticed.

* * *

An hour had passed since the exhibition ended. Team 7 had been fighting for a total of 45 minutes, making them a little worn-out. As the captains assembled in a separate house, they were treated again for minor injuries in the medical division.

"I wonder what squad we'll be put in… I know that some of them specialize in certain areas, like Squad 12 being the science, technology, and research division." Sakura contemplated as she healed the small wounds she received. Green chakra glowed from her palm, repairing the cut at a swift rate.

"Oh, you know how to heal with kido?" A woman's voice prompted Sakura to turn around. It was the lavender haired young woman from before. "Kido?" she queried, dropping her arm to her side. "I heard about that from Captain Unohana, but where we come from, we don't use kido… Well, we might, but we don't call it that." Sakura corrected, tying in the elements of her world with Soul Society's.

"I see… You seem to be good at it, in any case." Isane smiled politely. Sakura smiled as well, "I was trained by our village's greatest medical ninja, Lady Tsunade. I'm still training, but it's become natural for me."

As the two medics-in-training conversed, they learned a bit of each other's techniques. Sai began to learn and connect the relations between the worlds by listening as well. He had already deduced that their 'chakra' was most likely equivalent to their 'reiatsu'. Likewise, kido and other arts the shinigami practiced were similar to what they had deemed as 'jutsus'.

He looked up, noticing that Kakashi and Yamato were missing. Before he could wonder why, the group was notified that it was time for them to be cast into their respective squads.

* * *

Hurray, squad time! Guesses are welcome, though I've already made decisions. Please drop a review! I'd greatly appreciate it.

Next- **Chapter 5:** _Convergence_; Team 7 have shown off their skills in battle and are cast into their respective squads. But what's this? Who are the others that are starting to show up? Team 7 isn't alone after all!


End file.
